Thursday, 27 November 2014

Elections are round the corner, sources say 5thfeb 2015 will be the big day in Delhi. As ModiJi, Gandhi Ji & Kejri Ji, come seeking our vote. (Well the radio/Tv/Internet has already started jingling the tunes). We decided to have a quick look at their websites to figure out what was on offer this time. (our previous observation can be read: #DelhiElections!!! Whats going to change for the women of Delhi ?

Let’s start with the party in power, BJP, well they have a website dedicated to Delhi, good design, hi-res pics, most of the information about how amazing Modi Ji is, is to be found without a click. Though when it comes to finding an actual plan/manifesto/implementation strategy, the website is clueless. We have dropped a mail to SMT. Preeti Kamal JeetSehrawat the president of the MahilaMorcha (kjsehrawat@gmail.com), asking her about how they plan to make Delhi safer for women. Let’s see when/if I get a reply.

Next we visited the Congress party website, unlike BJP they do not have a separate site for Delhi (or at least Google could not find it). But what could be found on this well designed rather uninformative site was a manifesto with a 15 point agenda. This 2 page document has a few specific aims, sadly none of them are gender specific. Unlike the BJP they do not have any specific person one could get in touch, so we have sent a mail to connect@inc.in, also surprising that Congress just has 3 leader Mommy/Son Gandhi & Mr Manmohan Singh, what happened to the rest of the crew?

When we come to Delhi, it would be unfair to give the ever happening phenomenon of the Aam Aadmi Party. They do have a Delhi website Aam Aadmi Party, with too much happening on it. But the manifesto is clearly visible & Social justice has Gender Justice highlighted. Manifesto reading through it one can see that they have covered the basics. Though could have certainly been a lot more specific, plus included points about gender sensitization, LGBT rights.

That’s where they stand today. Doesn’t it make you wonder how do they plan to come up with genius ways of making Delhi safer for women in just a few days? Or is it all about calculated promises & promising calculations after all? Do our political leaders really want to change the scenario or is it just smooth talk to get our votes?

SO finally after months of coma, politics returns to Delhi. Yup politics in India or for Indians is pretty much confined onlyto elections. It's a grand festival, where city walls are plastered with photoshoped smiling faces of politicians, graffiti all across the town with rather creative Bollywood inspired slogans & inhuman decibel level of microphones playing party slogans in loop (all three of which is banned by the Elections Commission). "Election commission, like the women's commission & other commissions has been established just honor Ghalib's quote ​दिल को बहलाने के लिए ख्याल अच्छा है nah don't get me wrong they do their show, filling up a quota of how many bottles of alcohol they have seized & some money which they catch. But come on every campaign manager knows exactly how to get past their rather illogical and frivolous modus operandi "

We shall see the reappearance of white Gandhi ashram Khadi (ok now Fab India) kurtas, car caravans & very convincing people telling us, how important we are & how it is fatally important that we vote for them. This will be done differently for different religions/castes/class. Beginning from barking competitions on television (the rich), to annoying radio jingles (the middle class), to biryani/alcohol/cash distribution (poor).

The above methodologies are further wrapped into the 'intellectual class satisfying/approved 'products such as manifestos/ideology/#WhatWeStandForSpeeches. As we have been pretty much in the election mode this year, Delhi then National followed by Haryana & Maharashtra plus soon we will witness Kashmir, our memory is fresh, so what is it that we shall be offered this time ? Before I get into my prediction mode, here is what was on offer last time (yes we shall ONLY look at it from a gender lens :)

Let's start with the holier-than-thou #AamAadmiParty, this young party led by a rockstar of a super human Kejriwal, firstly could only identify 8 women to represent them in Delhi (clearly not practitioners of #33Percent women's reservation bill), secondly they also promised a women's only paranormal ninja team to take care of women's security & also the implementation of the Justice Verma committee recommendations. Well in the short & sweet 49 day government most of that did not happen, what did happen that Mr. Somnath Bharti, the law minister decided to play 'Judge Dred' at mid night, taking a bunch of his supporters (could be read 'goons') to chase & arrest Nigerian women on suspicion of prostitution & drug peddling. (Black women wearing western clothes #ThatWasTheLogicProvided #FaceFUCKINGPalm)

The next in line in the Modi brigade, yup BJP suddenly seems to have lost all its leaders & the only face in town gardening the lotus is that ‘interesting’ politician for Gujarat. (Reminder’s #2002 , #SnoopGate , & when he finally got to US he stood next to Wolverine & said #MayTheForceBeWithYou kidding‘ ‘Mota Bhai’ Narendra #GharGharModi #HarHarModi and all that. So their party manifesto talked about 33% women’s reservation bill, a national campaign against sex selective abortion & education, free treatment for acid attack victims & making Police more women friendly. Well Delhi police is under Modi since the last few months & we have witnessed NO change in their attitude or functioning, though I must highlight for the first time in the history of Delhi, women protestors were sexually molested by police.

(Do Read: www.feministsindia.com/delhi-police-molest-women-protestors) 33% Women’s reservation has not been debated, neither is it on the upcoming parliamentary sessions agenda, nor is it implemented during ticket distribution, as last time Delhi saw only 5 women candidates from BJP. Lets not forget the RSS factor & its other branches known for moral policing & ensuring India never breaks away from its patriarchal chains holding us in primitive notions.

Finally we come to Congress, the party which ruled Delhi for 15 years, I believe they were so sure they would not have to implement any of their promises (not that its required to do when you come to power) they promised the world to us. Rapid Justice/ Help Lines/ 24 Hour Safe Transport/ Easy Loans/ One Stop Crisis Intervention Centers/ Clean Cooking Fuel, yeah long list of fake hopes & dreams, of course they totally took claim of the 33% women's reservation bill (which never got passed BTW). Their lies were so embarrassing that Ms. Shiela Dixit took political retirement post this mishap of Delhi elections. Not that they were any better, in fact they only gave 6 out of the 70 tickets to women & lets not forget the shameful display of ignorance which led to the 16th December 2012 protest across the nation!

So that is what we received last time, unless you believe in Voodoo magic, I honestly do not see how will they manage to change anything? I mean it's just been 8 months? Same politicians, same city, same campaign managers, the same game. Ok may be congress will just accept its uselessness & not even bother to compete in elections this time round.

So please vote, but inform yourself, ask your representative how will they change the scenario ? And if you hear the age old raga then debate why wasn't there and action taken in the past? #LongLiveTheRevolution!